[citation needed] The ahuizotl has hands similar to a monkey's, which are capable of manipulation, both on its arms and on its tail.

[1] By most accounts, the ahuizotl would snatch people from the water's edge, so that it could feast on their eyes, nails, and teeth.

[4] Alternately, some fisherman claimed that the ahuizotl would sink their boats, and would offer a portion of their catch to appease the creature.

[citation needed] When the ahuizotl hadn't successfully caught a human in some time, it had two methods by which to draw victims to the water.

[2] If a person was suspected of being killed by an ahuizotl, only priests were allowed to touch the body, which should be buried in a house surrounded by water (or "ayauhcalco").